With how the NBA has evolved in the past 10 years, and with the prevalence of small ball lineups and emphasis on three point shooting... do you think Durant would be the #1 pick if that draft happened today? I was thinking about it, and one of the main reasons why Oden was so coveted was because he was a throwback to the great centers of the 80s and 90s, but that's not really how teams think these days. Would Oden still be the hands down #1 pick if he was coming out of college in this draft, or would Durant usurp him? I was on the fence back then, and I was pretty torn because I thought Oden could be the next Shaq, but Durant is exactly the kind of player that you want in the modern NBA. Thoughts?
With no knowledge of how each player actually did in the NBA, I think Oden would still be the pick, though certainly not "hands down." Oden was supposed to be a centerpiece on both ends of the court--in that sense, you could compare his projection to someone like Tim Duncan. I think a young Tim Duncan would still be a deeply sought-after franchise player today. Durant has turned into a defensive force, but that's not what people projected for him at the time of the draft. He was compared more to a Carmelo Anthony or--to break the "same race" comparison laws--a Larry Bird. A tall forward who could move and shoot like a guard. Even today, I think teams would take a guy who projected as a two-way anchor over a guy who projected as "merely" a great scorer. But I do think it would be closer today than it was back then (even then, though, Durant had his adherents).
I was thinking that as well.... but I think it would be a lot closer than it was. Plus, with the emergence of the Greek Freak, I really think the decision might be a lot tougher if it was happening today.
If Oden fulfilled his potential, he would have changed the game. Nothing Unique about KD, he had to join 73-9 team to win a ring. If a guy came out with Oden's potential vs KDs out of college, Oden would still be drafted #1 today.
I'm not sure if Durant was viewed as only an offensive force. He had over 11 rebounds a game in college! Almost 2 steals and two blocks a game. (and as Kevin Pritchard once said: "This guy is an assassin!")
Same exact everything except the year it happened? Durant still can't bench 185 once? Most teams pick Oden. WE might not because everyone loves Nurkic.
I never saw in Oden what many of you do/did. I thought he looked like Mutombo on offense (not very good), and his college injuries robbed him of some development at least. I would have taken Durant and kept ZBo at PF, LMA at C, Roy at SG.
The league is quite a bit different now than when Oden actually played. Part of what made him so appealing is that there really haven't been a lot of players comparable to him. Is there anyone in the league right now with his size, strength, and defensive ability?
His only college injury was an injured wrist. It forced him to miss the first nine games of his college career and shoot his FTs left handed (and he still shot 63%). He averaged 3.3 BLK/game in college and dominated during the NCAA tournament. In the title game, the defending champ Florida Gators were clearly the better team, but Oden was easily the best player in the floor - and that was going against older, more experienced big mean Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Marreese Speights - all who would also be 1st round draft picks. Oden finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Oden's knee injuries did not start until after we drafted him. He never had a knee injury in high school or college that caused him to miss any games. He had his first of three microfracture surgeries at the age of 19 after the Blazers drafted him in 2007. Oden is a prime example of why microfracture surgery is no longer used on competitive athletes. It never had a high success rate and the knee is never 100% after microfracture surgery. The cartridge that grows back as a result of the surgery is harder and more brittle than the original cartilage and can't take the same level of pounding as the original cartridge it replaces. Oden had it done three times by the time he was 23. No wonder his knees turned to dust. BNM
He looked like a man among children in college. He looked like a child among men in the pros. It looked like it was going to be that way to me. Like I said, I don't see the appeal of the guy as #1 pick and next greatest thing. I knew Durant was can't miss - "the next Kobe" is how I phrased it when talking with gambitnut back then.
So, he looked like a man against players like Noah and Horford in college, who were both lottery picks that became all stars, but looked like a child against men in the NBA. Bullshit. He certainly didn't look like a boy among men when he totally dominated Noah two weeks before his knee cap exploded and ended his NBA career in Portland. It wasn't a lack of talent of the wrist injury he suffered before we drafted him that ruined his career, it was the knee injuries he incurred after we drafted him that did. BTW, I know it was just a 21-game sample size, but at the time of Oden's final injury in POR he was leading the league in FG%, TRB% and BLK%. What more could you want from a big man, in any era, than elite rebounding, elite defense and efficient scoring? The league may have changed, but none of those things ever go out of style. BNM
